Expert: Helen Joan Casper - 9/16/2006

Question
I moved to Europe from the US and brought my Xbox. I bought a power supply online that was for 220v. I installed the power supply and my Xobox worked just fine. After I played for about two hours the fuse in the power supply blew. And now evrytime I replace the fuse and plugg in my Xbox the fuse blows. Do you have an idea as to what's wrong? Thank you

Answer
Honestly, you're lucky the power supply was the only thing that blew- I've heard of people frying their Xbox entirely. I have a lot of friends who travel regularily overseas and they always have problems with voltage- so much so that many of them make sure they have extra laptop batteries, etc. rather than try to recharge with converters.

Without seeing the fuse, it's hard to say what exactly blew it. This is a great guide that will help you solve the mystery of how your fuse blew, depending on what it looked like:
http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Is-A-Fuse?-And-How-To-Test-It.&id=37999

If I had to make a shot-in-the-dark guess, I'd say either:
a) The lower Hz of European outlets eventually caught up to your Xbox (electronics with timers- like alarm clocks, etc- will operate slower, even with converters, because of the lower Hz) and the Xbox drew more power to compensate, hence blowing the supply.
b)The power supply itself is malfunctioning and blowing itself
c) The power brick is malfunctioning and hence not sending the right supply of power from the outlet to the supply, blowing the supply. It could be that a fuse has blown in the power brick. Assuming, of course, you're still using a power brick with a converter.

The best way to fix this problem is to take your Xbox to a store that specializes in Xbox or game console repair. Tell them you need to have your American Xbox converted to European power. They can then rewire the box itself so that it will draw an acceptable amount of power that is compatible with the electric standards. Due to the risk of electric shock, or the risk to the console itself, I really can't recommend rewiring your Xbox yourself. =)

Let me know if I can help you with anything else.

Thanks!
Helen =)